mesonbuild/meson

Support generation of man pages with help2man

Open

#1,812 opened on May 17, 2017

View on GitHub
 (2 comments) (2 reactions) (0 assignees)Python (4,978 stars) (1,465 forks)batch import
enhancementgnomehelp wanted

Description

This would be implemented via a run_target() that runs a specific built executable on install with help2man which generates a man page. Then we compress it and install it.

So far, pango needs it for its Meson port, but other projects would use it too, I'm sure.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
python
Domain
build system
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
PythonMeson build systemhelp2manUnix packaging
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
45
Research direction
Start by exploring the Meson source code, focusing on how `run target` is implemented in `mesonbuild/interpreter.py` and how install steps are defined in `mesonbuild/install.py`. Look at existing examples of `run target` in test files or documentation. Then, examine the referenced pango `Makefile.am` to understand how help2man is used there. The goal is to add a new feature that allows a `run target` to execute `help2man` on a built executable and then compress and install the generated man page. Consider whether this should be a new method or an extension of the existing `run target` setup.